


Bridges from the Ash

by Overthinkerwrites



Series: Building Up and Breaking Down [3]
Category: Ava's Demon
Genre: Based off of fanart, F/F, Slight bend of canon, Written with fanartist's permission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 15:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8018878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Overthinkerwrites/pseuds/Overthinkerwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Nevy reconnects with her Queen, Maggie has to come to terms with the past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bridges from the Ash

Maggie was visibly shaken. For anyone to say that without seeing Magnolia Lacivi in her current state would have been considered a liar of the worst kind. Maggie was never shaken. She was hard. She had to be. She had learned quickly that if you wanted something, you took it. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

It was not the fact that she had discovered that her former best friend, Ava Ire, had a demon like her own, but the fact that their friendship had been sabotaged heavily and that it was not Ava’s fault, despite the fact Maggie was sure it was Ava’s mental dysfunction.

She leaned against one of the trees, not trying to think. However, there was that nagging voice in the back of her head that implored her to do what she didn’t want to do. Make up with Ava. Let go of what happened. But it was just so hard, though.

Soft, but audible footfalls broke her from her trance to see Tuls Tenebrose walk up to her and tilt to the side to observe her condition.

“Magnolia. You have not moved from there in a long time. In fact, every time you slumber, you do nothing but stare into nothing,” the Florani observed flatly,

She frowned in response. “So what if I am?”

“You are not yourself,” he stated simply.

She held back a snort before she forced herself to her feet. “So, what else is new?” She walked past him to another part of the garden, where she hoped that Tuls would leave her alone. However, for some stupid reason, the Florani had been hounding her and it was starting to drive her mad.

“Something has changed,” he called after her, “not just in you, but in me. Something has happened. I sense something… someone familiar. Who was it?”

Her frown deepened and she whirled around. “Since when did you get so curious?! Haven’t you got a bunch of paintings of Running Caller or whatever her name is you need to finish?”

Tuls’ eyes leveled. “Rennanculae.”

“Whatever.”

“The disturbance is affecting you.  And whatever affects you, affects me. Subsequently, it affects our pact,” he reminded her.

She huffed and folded her arms. “fine, if it’ll shut you up.  I met someone in another mind.  Some woman. Real bitch. Looks like she’s made of lava or something.”

“Wrathia Bellarmina,” Tuls exhaled wearily.

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“Wrathia must have said or done something to unbalance you.  What was it?”

Maggie found her voice lost. She couldn’t look at Tuls anymore and turned away.

“Magnolia,” Tuls probed, “was it something to do with your friend?”

Maggie winced, looked to the ground in shame, but nodded, nonetheless.

“If Wrathia Bellarmina had your friend as her host, then it is no surprise your friend behaved that way.  Vengess are incredibly aggressive and violent. If she did not have a pact at the time, it’s no wonder you…”

“NO!” Maggie shouted, “STOP! JUST STOP!” She planted her hands against her head to drown out the memories. Memories she was sure she counted on as her reason to hate Ava, the Class Lunatic. The freak. The schizo. And many more cruel names Ava had to endure.

And she was wrong. For so many years, she was wrong about Ava.

She fell to her knees and started to weep. Tuls stood silently as Maggie wept. Before too long, he slowly went to her side and sat down slowly. His host looked up to him with soaked eyes and asked, “what do I do?”

Tuls looked to the forest in contemplation for a moment before answering, “there is an old Florani tale of the flame that tried to consume all. its rage left nothing but desolation in its wake. However,” he reached forward and in front of Maggie, a patch of earth, seemingly dead, dried, and lifeless, a small, but beautiful flower started to grow, “not even the flame could extinguish the future. And so, life began anew. The same, but with lessons learned. All it needed was the single seed.”

Maggie wiped her face and sniffed. “You think… you think she might…”

Tuls answered her prematurely. “There is nothing to do but try.”

She blinked twice before slwoly getting up. “Alright,” she started, “I’ll do it.” She then whirled on him angrily, “but on my terms! Far as I’m concerned, you just talked about boring stuff.”

With that she left, leaving Tuls alone to sigh.

*

“Oh, Nevy, where have you been?” Wrathia moaned happily as Nevy brushed her hair from behind the chair the Vengess reclined on.

“Keeping company with my host,” Nevy answered calmy as her fingers, in conjunction with the comb, soothed and massaged Wrathia’s scalp.

Wrathia snorted in derision. “Hah.  What kind of host did you get? Me? I got some brat human. Of all the rotten luck.”

Nevy was silent for a half second before answering. “An Hyqurian.”

“Oh,” Wrathia noted, “aren’t they, like, a cousin race to yours?”

“Yes. A sea based race. Though, I wonder if he’s the last of his kind or not. When his soul bonded to mine, his world was attacked by the Silent Scavangers.  At least, that’s what he tells me.”

“Hmph.  Be grateful. The brat I got bonded to was just born when it happened to me. Can you imagine how horrible it was for me?  Stuck in a miniscule body with no ability to protect itself. Ugh!” Wrathia looked up to the high ceiling, completely unaware of the narrowed eyes of the Covetess brushing her hair.

“At least we’ve pacted now. One more step and I don’t have to hear her complain so much. I’ve got to hand it to myself, though, the vials containing my blood was a stroke of genius.” She looked to the side, “I assume you’ll need one for your host.  Don’t worry, there’s one for you. You’ve been good to me, Nevy, unlike everyone else.”

“Hmm,” Nevy answered noncommittally.

“What’s wrong? You’re normally more chatty than this,” Wrathia huffed.

“It’s difficult to explain,” Nevy answered as her strokes of Wrathia’s hair grew slower. “My time with Gil, as short as it was compared to how long I lived, was happy. Simple. I sometimes lament remembering.”

Wrathia let loose a raucous laughter. “Are you serious?! What ever could these peasants offer you that I couldn’t?”

“Again, it’d difficult to explain,” Nevy continued, “however, I did gain a valuable bit of insight into how they think.”

“Oh, tell me.  This should be good,” Wrathia snickered as she started to file her nails.

“Gil made a promise to me. I expect him to keep that promise. And I believe he will, no matter how long it takes. Though, I know it will most likely undo him,” she said sadly, ashamed that she was not telling Gil the whole truth, “it was both difficult and easy to get him to make that promise. And, in an odd way, the lie became the truth. And that never happens.”

Confused, Wrathia asked, “And that is?”

“My point is, Wrathia,” Nevy said as she started to grin, her tongue grew longer, the bubbles from her lips took on a venomous shade,“you can find people much more willing with sweet than sour. Such could have been the case with your host.”

Wrathia was about respond when Nevy interrupted her, “In short, Wrathia,” the Covetess took a fistful of Wrathia’s hair, yanked it back, and snarled with her face inches from Wrathia,  " ** _Fael heuhn, sza'ra sjar!_** “

White hot rage burned in Wrathia’s blood at the Covetess’ statement. There were insults and then there were Insults. And the kind of language Nevy had spoken, especially spoken about Wraitha, even in the furthest reaches of her empire, would have gotten anyone executed.

The Vengess roared and whirled on her consort. Claws bared, fire blazing from her mouth, and her hair a cataclysm as the heat bled through it.

From Nevy’s hair, several reptilian heads emerged and hissed at Wrathia as the Covetess smiled maliciously at her queen.

"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN’T RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB, NEVY NERVINE!”

Nevy’s smile grew and she started to laugh scornfully. “Oh, Wrathia. You seem to forget the tenuousness of your situation. But then again, you never could accomplish anything that didn’t require brute force.”

As eager as the Vengess was to outright murder Nevy, she listened, “you need more than me. You need your host.  You need Pedri, whatever would be corpse he’d prefer to stew in. You need Tuls. You need me. You need our hosts.  You need all of us.”

Unafraid, she sauntered up her queen, as she had done so many, many times in Wrathia’s private chambers when they drew breath, “or do you really believe that you and you alone can bring TiTAN down? And, most importantly,” she reached up and stroked Wrathia’s cheek, “save your heir.”

Wrathia then stopped. Her eyes widened at the realization that Nevy was one of those entrusted with the location of Wrathia’s egg. She snarled at the Covetess, “I never should have trusted you.”

Nevy laughed lightly, “Yes, yes, Covetess are as treacherous as the tide. But no, you were wise to trust me and if you still do, then you’ll hear what I have to say. I know what you did to that child. I can smell the desperation in her breath that led to her pact. And she still hates you. She will always hate you. And you need her. Not the other way around.”

“WHAT?!” Wrathia growled, “YOU EXPECT ME TO BE THAT LITTLE WRETCH’S MOTHER?!”

Nevy’s smile didn’t falter. “If that works for you, then fine. Just know that if she’s on your side, in more ways than one, she will go further for you and the likelihood of your plan succeeding increases.  Though, considering the scars left on her, it will certainlty by a daunting task.” Instantly, her smile went from vicious to pleasant, “I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

Wrathia hated the idea with her whole heart… if she still had it. However, Nevy had a point.

“FINE! BUT DON’T EXPECT ME TO PLAY NURSEMAID TO THE LITTLE BRAT!”

Nevy’s confidence didn’t falter. “Good." 

As she started to walk away, Wrathia shouted after her, "AND HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ME! I’M A PACTED SOUL, REMEMBER?! I CANNOT DIE!”

Nevy’s unsettling smile returned as she turned to her queen. “No, they can’t.” Instantly, she vanished and Wrathia knew she had erred.

Claws, laced with near fatal Covetess venom pricked her neck as Nevy’s hand slowly enclosed around Wrathia’s neck from behind. “But they can still feel pain. That’s one of the reasons why you enlisted me, remember?”

Wrathia froze as her neck went slightly numb. She had made the greatest mistake anyone could ever make in regards to Nevy Nervine; underestimating her. Nevy then slowly let go of Wrathia and faded into the darkness, back to her host.

The Vengess was used to feeling powerful with millions piled beneath her feet.

She had never felt so powerless before. And the worst part about it was, Nevy was right.

*

Ava couldn’t tell how long it was when Maggie left after that altercation with Wrathia.  However, it seemed pointless considering time moved in odd ways there.  Still, she figured there wasn’t much more to do as she slowly walked down the imposing, dark, and lonely annals of her mind.

“Ava!” Maggie’s voice cut through the dark. Ava twirled around and saw a winded Maggie, looking irritated at her.

“Maggie,” Ava said despondently, “I’m-”

“No!” Maggie cut her off and dashed towards her.

Paralyzed, Ava looked on in fear, expecting a blow, expecting a strike, expecting horrible words about her as Maggie’s hands clamped onto her shoulders.

But none came.

Instead, Maggie’s arms reached around Ava’s smaller frame and embraced her dearly.

In Ava’s ear, Maggie whispered, between sniffs, “I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.”

Ava was stunned at the declaration, however, the oppressive weight in her mind concerning her former friend began to ebb away. Her eyes began to fill with moisture and she finally broke down. Her arms wrapped around Maggie’s waist and she wept on Maggie’s shoulder. Whether it was for joy or relief, she couldn't tell, however, it wasn’t important right now.

All that mattered was that there was still hope in the desolate ashes of what was once their friendship.

**Author's Note:**

> Last scene was based off of the fan animation here;  
> http://meeps-chan.tumblr.com/post/111448316783/so-here-what-i-did-instead-of-sleeping-last-night


End file.
